1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a self-standing container, which is suitably used as a container for receiving solid, powdery or granular material or the like.
2. Description of the Related Art
With respect to containers for receiving various products of solid, powdery or granular material, there are demands for characteristic properties of self-standing, maintaining the product""s form, wrapping easily the product, seeing through the product received in the container and the like, which properties depend on the kind of the product.
With respect to the container in which a small amount of contents such as coffee, cocoa, sugar, salt, seasoning, powdery milk, cleanser or the like that is received in the container, is to be used at a time, the self-standing property is demanded with the result that there is used a container having rigidity such as a paper box and a wide-mouthed bottle. There is a case where a lined carton in which inside and outside layers are formed integrally with each other is used for a business use. When the transparency of the container is demanded, a glass bottle or a transparent plastic container is used.
With respect to the container for receiving the products in a stacking state, i.e., confectionery such as cookie, laver, tea bags, medicine packets, and the like, the characteristic properties of maintaining the product""s form, wrapping easily the product and seeing through the product received in the container with the result that there is used a container having rigidity such as a paper box, plastic containers having rigidity and transparency, or a container that can be obtained by covering a tray-shaped member having rigidity, for example, a plastic member formed by a vacuum forming, with a transparent film.
With respect to the container for receiving retort pouch food to be heated by means of a microwave oven, there is used a container that can be obtained by covering the above-mentioned tray-shaped member having rigidity, which can also be used as a tray, with an outer layer so as to be capable of being subjected to a heating process with the use of the microwave oven.
However, the containers having rigidity or provided with the tray are so relatively bulky to cause inconvenient problems of transportation and handling of the empty containers. In addition, it is difficult to decrease the weight of the container and meet the demands for reduced cost and waste disposability. There have conventionally been used a pouch package formed of a laminate film in order to meet the above-mentioned demands. It is however difficult to form a self-standing container with the use of the pouch package, since the laminate film thereof does not have sufficient rigidity. More specifically, the pouch package is not suitable for the container for receiving products of solid, powdery or granular material.
Japanese Patent Application Nos. H6-114,803 and H8-25,603 and Japanese Utility Model Application No. H4-40,497 were filed in the name of the applicant to propose a method for manufacturing a self-standing bag.
An object of the present invention is therefore to provide a self-standing container, which has the ensured self-standing property even in case that the thickness of the self-standing bag manufactured in accordance with the inventions of the above-mentioned Japanese applications is decreased, and has an easy waste disposability and an excellent handling and convenience property as well as an excellent property of maintaining the form of products such as solid, powdery or granular material.
In order to attain the aforementioned object, the self-standing container of the present invention comprises:
a main body having a tubular shape, said main body having an upper end portion and a lower end portion, which are opened; and
a bottom-forming sheet, which is joined to a periphery of said lower end portion by a fusion bonding so as to form a self-standing container having a flat bottom,
wherein:
each of said main body and said bottom-forming sheet comprises a laminate film having at least two layers, each of said at least two layers having a thickness of from 20 xcexcm to 120 xcexcm.
According to the present invention having the above-described features, the flat bottom can provide the self-standing property of the container, even when the laminate film as used has a relatively small thickness of from 20 xcexcm to 120 xcexcm, thus improving the handling and convenience property. The small thickness of the laminate film makes it possible to decrease the weight of the container and provide an excellent waste disposability. When the container receives fragile contents such as laver, rice cake, flowers, toys or the like, it is possible to fill the container with nitrogen gas or air to provide a cushioning effect so as to protect the contents.
The above-mentioned self-standing container may have a sealing member provided in the upper end portion of the main body. The sealing member can keep the container in a sealed condition again after a part of the contents is pulled out of the container, thus providing the advantageous effects when a small amount of the contents is used at a time. The container can be kept in a sealed condition after filling it with gas such as air so as to maintain the original shape of the container that has not as yet been opened. As a result, the container can be stored in a prescribed size. The above-mentioned sealing member preferably comprises a fastener by which the container can be opened or closed.
The self-standing container of the present invention may have a holder formed of paper, which is inserted in the container. The holder made of paper can maintain a prescribed shape of products such as medicine packets of granular digestive or cold medicine, packets for brew beverage such as tea, green tea or the like, and tea bags. In addition, the holder can arrange the contents in a proper condition so that an amount of the contents can easily be recognized, thus providing a convenient effect. The formation of the holder of paper can provide an easy waste disposing treatment and impart the folding property to the holder, leading to an easy handling. The holder preferably has a trough-shape with a U-shaped cross section.
The self-standing container of the present invention preferably has a structure that the laminate film comprises an outer layer and an inner layer; the outer layer comprises any one of an oriented polypropylene (OPP) layer having a thickness of from 15 xcexcm to 60 xcexcm, a polyethylene terephthalate (PET) layer having a thickness of from 9 xcexcm to 25 xcexcm and a vacuum metalization oriented polypropylene (VMOPP) layer having a thickness of from 9 xcexcm to 50 xcexcm; and the inner layer comprises a non-oriented polypropylene (CPP) layer having a thickness of from 15 xcexcm to 80 xcexcm. In such a structure, the laminate film may comprise the appropriate layers having their individual properties, depending on the kind of the contents or the handling method thereof.
When there is adopted a structure that the laminate film comprises an outer layer and an inner layer; the outer layer comprises any one of an oriented polypropylene (OPP) layer having a thickness of from 15 xcexcm to 60 xcexcm, a polyethylene terephthalate (PET) layer having a thickness of from 9 xcexcm to 25 xcexcm and a vacuum metalization oriented polypropylene (VMOPP) layer having a thickness of from 9 xcexcm to 50 xcexcm; and the inner layer comprises a fusion-bonding layer having a thickness of from 1 xcexcm to 10 xcexcm, the fusion-bonding layer being formed integrally with the outer layer, it is possible to improve the fusion-bonding property of a portion of the laminate film, which is to be fusion-bonded.
There is preferably adapted a structure that the laminate film comprises an outer layer and an inner layer; the outer layer comprises any one of an oriented polypropylene (OPP) layer having a thickness of from 15 xcexcm to 60 xcexcm, a polyethylene terephthalate (PET) layer having a thickness of from 9 xcexcm to 25 xcexcm and a vacuum metalization oriented polypropylene (VMOPP) layer having a thickness of from 9 xcexcm to 50 xcexcm; and the inner layer comprises a fusion-bonding layer having a thickness of from 1 xcexcm to 10 xcexcm, the fusion-bonding layer being formed on a prescribed portion. The formation of the fusion-bonding layer serving as the inner layer on the prescribed portion of the inner layer can improve the fusion-bonding property of the portion on which the fusion-bonding layer is to be formed.
There may be adapted a structure that the laminate film comprises an outer layer, an intermediate layer and an inner layer; the outer layer comprises a polyethylene terephthalate (PET) layer having a thickness of from 9 xcexcm to 25 xcexcm; the intermediate layer comprises an aluminum (Al) layer having a thickness of from 5 xcexcm to 15 xcexcm; and the inner layer comprises any one of a polyethylene (PE) layer and a nonoriented polypropylene (CPP) layer, which have a thickness of from 15 xcexcm to 70 xcexcm. Such a structure is preferably suitable for a container for receiving retort pouch food.